


A friend

by jinglingvoid



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Slow burn friendship, Some angst, abuse tw, ed needs a friend, someone be kind to him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-02 16:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12730626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinglingvoid/pseuds/jinglingvoid
Summary: Sometimes the person you need isn't the one you particularly like.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, You!  
> Thank you for taking the time to read this little note. I really hope you enjoy the series and go on an adventure. But, you should know that this work explores abuse, crime and the possibility of an unlikely friendship forming.

He had no answers for the scrabbling inside his brain. Each thought led to another in a tangle almost like a great labyrinth. Edward wouldn’t be the first to compare his brain to a great chasm that rested between his ears and yet, he couldn’t fight the thing inside him.  
Something was wrong. No matter how many times he drew the landmines of traps they seemed too dull, too boring for anything that The Riddler could produce.  
If he was going to get anywhere in Gotham city, it would be on brains alone.

Muffled swears flitted the room as another paper was discarded in the already filing bin.   
He hated Arkham.   
Residents were even too stupid or too loud or any other combination that grated his nerves.  
He could definitely go without another night that the Joker arose with maniacal laughter. An audience, he decided, would be better whether it was the great bat himself or a couple of inmates despite his previous conviction.  
“Mr Ngyma?”   
A voice so quiet, Ed could’ve mistaken it for a whisper. His eyes were tired as he turned to his visitor.   
“What is it?” he said, creasing his lips into a frown.   
“You seem… lonely. M'names Jervis Tetch.”

“Tetch.” He acknowledged, swallowing the lump in his throat. “You’re the one who kidnapped that girl? Alice? Hardly see it’s appropriate you coming to my abode.”   
Jervis shifted, uneasily between each harsh words. “I thought you could use some company? I… Alice.. well, I could'a prevented it. I need my wonderland, Mr. Ngyma.”   
“Riddle me this, what is a man with no end and no beginning?”   
“Useless?” murmured Jervis, wringing his hands tightly. “They said you’re an enigma? I.. I always thought that if I could recreate it then I would be happy. The therapist said I should be, whats’ the word constructive?”  
Edward barked a laugh and threw up his hands. “It was an Ouroboros, actually. And, you believe that? That I could win this war? Sometimes wars not a thing with guns sometimes it starts with the mind. You’re still a creep, Tetch.”  
“I-”  
“Why did you approach me knowing full well that I wouldn’t welcome it?” The trails of paper were discarded as he began pacing around the room, looking for anything that would distract him. “Find someone else to bother, Jervis. I’m too tired for you.”  
“Sometimes, I think you need a friend, Mr Nygma. A good one – I thought.. maybe. maybe we could be friends?”  
“Good night, Tetch.”


	2. Where is my mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the beginning of the chapter, Ed gets injected with medication against his own wishes and has a panic attack. Please, if it makes you uncomfortable please skip this chapter. However, this fic will address instances of abuse whether past or present.

He awoke to the sound of metal bars clanging open and a rather dishelveled guard peering through the thick layer of darkness. Edward stiffled a sigh. One thing about prison was that each day seemed to blend into one and he'd edured enough muted mornings and dull afternoons.  
"Ngyma, time for your medicine."  
"I don't need it. I thought you of all people would understand."   
"Right and I'll let the crazies run the asylum."  
Everything on the guard's features seemed to coil into an ugly sort of mirth and ill humour. Edward could already see their hands scrabbling in the deep pockets of their jackets, keys jangling along with it.  
A small syringe was produced, he knew it well and regared the whole procedure a joke. Meds were for the sick and he wasn't sick!  
No, he was The Riddler who never got ill or broke down.  
His arm was twisted against his back and his skin prickled.  
A bare flicker of recollection recoiled in his brain.  
He'd seen those eyes or rather, the type - the ones that were capricious and devoid of love.  
Images seemed to blur and distort as the medication pulsated through his blood stream and for a moment he felt his whole body crumbling like chalk, peppered around on a dark blackboard.  
\- -  
As usual the coffee had run out before one o'clock.   
He perched on an uncomfortable plastic chair and downed far too bitter tea then picked at gruel which wasn't even fit for a normal person, let alone for a prisoner.   
Edward suspected it had the nutrionial value of old cabbabge.

Across the far side of the room, Jervis' eyes fluttered to the bruising on Ed's arm. It wasn't the first time he'd seen the bruises mottled across The Riddler's arms.  
On particularly bad days, the screaming awoke him and sent him into a deep spiral of worry.  
Before he could even make his way towards the man, Jonathan had beat him to it.   
"So, you're awake," asked Jon. "Any more nightmares?"  
"No. I'd rather not talk about it." muttered Edward, setting down his spoon. "Gossip travels."   
"Cat got your tongue, Edward?" Jonathan replied tartly, eyes travelling to the purple bruises on Edward's forearm.   
Edward ignored the prying eyes and directed his focus between the gap of Jonathan's eyes in an attempt to prove that he was currently fine and certainly not thinking about the events of the morning.  
"Look, sometimes I just don't want to talk. It's hardly unusual."  
"It is for someone of your character," remarked Jonathan with a slight frown. "You're always babbling about your riddles and intelligence. What was it, last week that you vowed to beat Batman at his own game?"

"Excuse me, gentlemen."   
Edward had jumped at the voice and stared at the stranger. He was wearing a ridiculous hat that seemed way too large for his head with the way he was constantly adjusting it to no avail.  
"Jervis." Jonathan acknowledged, much to Edward's surprise.   
Were they on good terms?   
Did Crane really like him?

"Tetch, what is it this time?" said Edward, tone clipped. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."  
"I saw the bruises and I couldn't help myself" blurted Jervis with flushed cheeks.  
"It's nothing now if you could move along-"  
"Edward.." Jonathan interjected with a cough, "He means no harm."  
"No harm? He got caught kidnapping someone before coming to Arkham! How am I supposed to overlook that?"  
A silence droned between the three men, neither of them knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't interrupted, Mr. Nygma. I.. I will try to be better next time." Jervis turned to leave before Edward's hand shot forward, grappling the velvet of his suit.  
"Look.. just because I find you annoying and completely irrational.. just.. just stop apologising! You can't expect trust to be given. It's earned and I suggest you find your tact, Tetch."   
"I'm sorry Mr. Nygma."  
Edward felt his head pulsating "You saw my bruises. Why did you think I wanted to talk to you after you completely embarrassed me?!"   
"Please, Mr. Nygma! I didn't want you hurt. I heard the guards laughing about it and.. I just thought you needed to talk."  
Before he could comment further, he was brushed aside.  
"I think the lad has suffered enough. Jervis keep up the good work and stay away from Wonderland, would you?"   
"Thank you, Mr. Crane. My therapist says I'm improving even if I don't sleep properly."  
"I didn't think you'd be so... understanding. What's the news on Tetch?" Edward's expression had turned sour immediately as if he'd swallowed a lemon.  
"Hmph. I can be when I want to, Edward. I've heard he deeply regrets his actions."  
"Then.. why is he clinging to me like glue? It's so frustrating." he hissed, scrubbing a pale hand across his face.  
"Perhaps, he needs someone to turn to. Would you rather he talked to someone like The Joker instead?" Crane prompted, sighing heavily.   
"No! but!"  
"Enough, Edward. You've already talked my ears off. Go to medical if the injuries are bothering you."

He would have to evaluate the conversation later. It was nearly time for the break and found himself longing for the sanctuary of the library.  
As small as it was, Edward preferred the comfort of books more than people sometimes. Books couldn't hurt you or cut you up into little pieces and the crossword was particularly good too.  
And despite that, he couldn't shake the memories trawling throughout the chasm of his brain.  
His red-rimmed eyes stared at the crossword, hoping, pleading that he'd forget.  
It wasn't long till he'd curled himself in the comfort of an armchair, tongue stuck out musing over the crossword.  
"Two words for a disappointment. Hm.. The Joker?"   
Edward's lips curled up into a crooked smile as a shriek of laughter tumbled and brayed almost causing an echo-like effect as his hands shook.


	3. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little heated...

Unbeknownst to him, two blue eyes were watching him with a smile. Perhaps it was fate that decreed the trio to be together or a random coincidence that the world couldn't rewrite.  
Three lives hung in balance; each teetering on the edge of madness and destruction.  
With Edward, his mind operated almost like a broken record: the song would always be the same but it spun and spun and spun.  
Jervis' was perhaps more disturbing, oiled only on fantasies that ruled out logic.  
And Jonathan?  
Well, fear was the endgame and a second personality greeted him like an old friend.  
  
The three men settled into the library like a fitted glove and Edward's crossword had already been filled out in the neatest of handwriting whilst Jervis' eyes were keen and searched for the two people he knew were his 'friends' and yet when he thought of Edward his stomach twisted.  
It wasn't like he hated the man. If only he could earn his trust. Being on one's own was terribly lonely.  
  
Jonathon, meanwhile, had a dozen books all scattered around the confined desk and regarded them with owlish eyes. Some notes had been written in tiny print, too small for anyone to decipher and the creased paper helped. No guards with prying eyes would notice the calculations that were meticulously written.  
  
Yet, how many books Edward nosed through it just wasn't the right fit. Either they were too boring, too short or not enough knowledge to sustain him.  
Only when a slight cough interrupted him in mid-thought, did he look up: scowling and red-faced.  
"Are you alright?" said Jonathan, steepling his fingertips. Those brown eyes bore into Edward's like a microscope and he couldn't help but shudder. Perhaps Jonathon had been more astute than given credit for.  
He barely spoke to anyone without lashing out and the events with Jervis and Arkham preoccupied his mind to the breaking point.

"I don't think I can answer that," Edward remarked quietly. "It's too unrefined not like me at all."  
A sigh rolled out from his lips and his eyes diverted to the nearest bookshelf.  
"I may be classified as mentally ill but I'm not stupid, Edward."  
"Yes, well not everyone can be as eloquent as the famed Dr Crane." He found himself spitting the words as if they were poison.  
"I mean, why stop there right? I'm just a fuck up - a brain that doesn't think." 

"Edward, hush. You're drawing attention to yourself."  
Despite his intentions, it fell on deaf ears and in his opinion, Edward should've received therapy possibly some of his own kind.  
"Let's go somewhere private shall we?"  
Reluctantly, Edward let himself be lead by Jonathan as he moved stiffly down the corridor and into the fastidiously neat cell. A small bed was shelved off into the corner and just underneath it, Edward could see stacks of paper.  
He found himself leaning awkwardly outside as Jonathan set to work, tidying the room with a flourish.  
"Please, sit," Jonathan instructed, motioning to the bunk. It was hardly private but it would have to do.  
"I don't know where to begin," Edward admitted, picking at the skin of his fingers. He rattled out a sigh and scrapped his hands through his dark hair. "Did you know they have me on syringes now? All because I wouldn't take their poxy pills. Can you imagine? Me! on medication?"  
"Typical. Your brain starts malfunctioning and you rebel until you're.. this." By now Jonathon had already threw up his hands whilst Edward stared on half-shocked, half-petulant.  
"Thanks for the confidence, Crane."  
"I'm just saying-"  
"Don't. I don't need you or Jervis or even Arkham!"  
"Edward!" Jonathan barked in the fruitless attempt to draw the man back into reality but Edward had already fled down the long winding corridor.


	4. Fool me once shame on me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inside Arkham's halls, nothing is what it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello you!  
> Just a little note this chapter contains heavy violence, death, gore and heavy hallucinations & mental illness  
> Reminder: Please rest and drink some water!! :)  
> Thank you for supporting me.

Jervis counted how often his lungs expanded and deflated. (twenty-two and counting to be exact) He may have been a 'better' man but he certainly wasn't a good one. Not now where everything seemed to spin and blur. Geraniums the size of small horses bloomed across the corridor much to the Hatter's delight. He could smell a pot of tea brewing and the feast slowly roasting over a log fire. Time seemed to slow here as fragments of reality bubbled and stewed but Jervis didn't mind. It was his and his alone.

A rabbit hopped, tears spilling from its eyelids. There were several watches strapped along its paw and underneath him, he carried a book - which one, Jervis wasn't sure but he began to stare, wide-eyed and wonderous. "Huuray, hoorah!" To his delight, the animal regarded him with weary blinking eyes and bit its lip as if it was trying to stop the floodgates from opening. "The rabbit's in for a shock!" He smiled, clapping wildly and drew out his latest invention: a spiralling clock. "Come and see your future! It's ticking and tocking! Yes, hurry dear little rabbit!" In response, the rabbit inhaled heavily as it sprung and sprinted away right until it reached a door. To say Jervis was disappointed was an understatement. He'd managed to convince the guards that the funny little pills weren't needed.

Jervis found himself striding along a corridor full of roses that gave berth to a wide library where all sorts of animals were huddling over books and magazines, one clown had bright pink bubblegum sprouting from their mouth. "Hello, Citizens! I have returned, The Mad Hatter! Come and start your dreams with this clock!" he trilled, dangling the clock back and forth. By the time the guards had come it was too late. Tetch was already laughing at an inmate who stood still transfixed on the hands of the clock. More guards swarmed like flies, guns raised as the newly 'enlightened' inmates- mostly thugs and the underlings charged: some with handmade knives and others with their fists. They went down like building blocks, blood spurting from the holes in their heads. Bullets ricocheted from shelves, narrowly missing the rogues who'd by now scattered across the library. In amidst the chaos, The Hatter stood marvelling at his creations. "Now, where's the poor rabbit?"

\- -

A red book sat in Edward's hand as he glanced through it and struggled to read the words. He'd nipped down it from the library after the spat with Jonathan. Day after day it got worse and worse, Arkham was truly a riddle Edward couldn't solve. Despite that billionaire brat, Bruce Wayne pumping money into a system which was decayed from inside out, all it gave them was fancier weapons. Small pops erupted in his eardrums sounding both far away and close at the same time. 

If Jervis wanted to win him over, his plan was lacking, Edward thought bitterly before pausing with widened eyes. Wasn't Jervis supposed to be on the mend? If so why had he heard the man shouting about his wonderland and the lonely rabbit? His stomach lurched as a sudden realisation hit him like a freight train. Tetch had been fabricating the whole time! "Yes, Mister Crane I'll be better!" Edward mocked and slammed the book against the wall. "I'm 'perfectly fine!"


	5. The Hare And The Tortoise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of his rope, Jervis hangs in balance in the med room whilst Ed is nowhere to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you!  
> Thanking you for taking the time to kudos this fic. I'm very grateful for the fact that so many people seem to enjoy it. I must warn you this chapter specifically the beginning has themes of horror due to nightmares. Please tread cautiously and rest if you're tired!
> 
> Whilst comments are rare I do enjoy reading them. :)  
> Once again, thank you!

His dreams were brimmed with giant teapots doubling as cauldrons and filled with the skeletal remains of a skinny man with a burlap sack and another skeleton with a question mark cane.  
He awoke with a scream that seemed to reverberate down the hall.  
Sweat slicked his palms as his bright blue eyes flickered wildly across the room. What Jervis hadn't expected was a flash of dark hair and irritated eyes.  
  
"Tetch." The figure said with all the politeness he could muster.  
"Ed? It's you!"  
  
"Yes, me. The 'hare'. Just what the hell were you thinking? Turning the library into a fucking war zone."  
Jervis' breath caught in his throat as he pulled the blanket over his head.  
  
"I.. I messed up."  
  
"Yes, and it caused the deaths of those thugs," said Edward, green eyes boring into the blanket. He wanted to slap the man but something in the back of his mind burned with a small bundle of curiosity.  
  
"Why did you lie to Crane about being well?"  
  
"I just wanted you to see me as a person! I just wanted a friend." Jervis wailed as his body shook from inside the thin blanket. "I thought I was in control."

Edward considered this, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "So you skipped meds without the guards noticing? What a pitiful person you are."  
"I threw them down the drain. I don't need-"  
"Gentleman." A voice collected down the corridor as a thin man strode in, gathered with some heavy paperwork.  
Edward flinched at the sudden interruption. "Jonathan, so glad you could join us. Here I was talking to Tetch and-"

"Yes, I've heard what he's done," said Jonathan, eyes steely as he regarded the two men with disdain.  
"I'm sorry! I-" cried Jervis, beginning to open his mouth, only pausing when  
Jonathan raised a hand. "Both of you are bickering like children. May I remind you that you two share the same pigheadedness and petulance.  
One thinks he's better than the common man and the other thinks wonderland is his safe haven.  
And yet neither takes their medications."  
Silence congregated among the three men. No one wanted to comment on Jonathan's quick deductions and it was evidently better than arguing until the shouting matches began.

"Well?"  
"I was stupid, Mr Crane! I see that now but I can't fix it. They're already gone..."  
"That's not how life works, Jervis. You do evil you get rewarded with more toil. Redemption isn't a quick slope."  
"Hang on since when did you become the mediator?" said Edward with a slight smirk. "You rattle off how both of us are idiots and yet, you can't take care of yourself! When was the last time you ate properly?"  
"He has a point, Mr Crane." injected Jervis, now unravelling the blanket so it lay arranged in his lap.  
"Thank you, Tetch."


	6. The end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks this is it. The last chapter! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you!  
> I'm glad for all the response this little fic has gotten and thank you for supporting me all the way. I'm a little sad that it's over but I hope more fics can be posted. :)
> 
> Have a good one.

The days seemed to drift and wan until it came to a stop at a beautiful summer solstice. Jervis had begun to recover and made several carnations for the lives lost the previous month.  
It was a start, at least.  
He allowed himself to smile and settled on a strong cup of tea. Someone had sent him some brews from outside but had left no name.  
His books were old and battered, some with grease marks from where his fingers clenched into the pages.

A familiar face drifted into few, all black hair and tired eyes searched for Jervis. He couldn’t help but jump at the sudden interruption.  
“Ed!” The words were pulled from his lips, both surprised and secretly relieved. The guards were making extra sure that he was sustained on a cocktail of medication. Ever since the incident, he’d been regarded with mystified stares.

“Yes, me again.” Edward coughed into his gloved palm. “I wanted to talk to you. About something private, follow me.”  
Jervis blinked and tucked the large book under his armpit as he struggled to follow the long strides of The Riddler.  
When they came to a stop they were seated in what Edward like to call his ‘abode’ when in reality it was a small cell barely fit for a rabbit.

 

“So, you wanted to see me?” Jervis asked, peering around the cell. “I didn’t think you’d-”  
“Please, what have I said about unheeding apologies?” The other chasistied. “I saw the carnations and well, I think you’d like this, Tetch.”  
Underneath the blanket there was a book shaped lump and when Edward removed the obstruction, it appeared to be a large information book about various wild flowers  
Jervis’ hands shook and his eyes widened as he traced the book’s title with his fingers. A gasp spilled from his lips as he sprung forward and enveloped the other man in a tight hug.  
“Thank you so much, Mr Nygma! I’ll cherish this gift!” 

Edward paused and gently patted the other’s shoulder. “It was food for a thought.” he admitted, slightly embarrassed by the hug.  
“I thought you could use a friend.”


End file.
